


we are like the moon and the ocean

by taeharu



Category: Free!
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Haruka meets Makoto, Karaoke, Love at First Sight, M/M, No Angst, No Sex, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-13
Updated: 2014-10-13
Packaged: 2018-02-20 17:12:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2436491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeharu/pseuds/taeharu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka is not a very social kind of guy. He's happy being all by himself at home, but it seems like Nagisa can't quite understand that. Before he can deny it, he's being dragged to a unknown event. He thinks the night will be as boring as all the others, but that's way too wrong.<br/>It's a good thing Nagisa have taken him to the place. It's actually something Haruka will never regret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	we are like the moon and the ocean

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, this is not my first fic in English, but it's the first fic I'm posting *sighs........*  
> I really, really hope you guys like it. I wrote this fic because I felt really inspired when I heard [THIS](http://yume-no-fantasy.tumblr.com/post/97564341243/future-fish-haruka-and-makoto-solo-version), so, yeah.......  
> I don't know if I was too OOC, because I have this kind of tendency, but I'm working on it ;n; please, enjoy!

Going to parties isn’t something I do often. I generally try to avoid social situations simply because I suck at expressing myself. It’s normally hard to make me actually say what I’m thinking, but it’s not because I have some sort of interaction phobia, I guess, I just don’t think what I have to say is important enough to make me actually say it, so that’s why I’m known as quiet, introverted… some say I’m shy, scared of people. I’m just better by myself, to be quite honest.

That’s why I don’t go out much. It’s kind of uncomfortable to be around a group of people talking about a great variety of things and to just listen. Some people will look at me at some point, waiting for me to say something remarkable or funny, but I just can’t say it. They end up giving up, generally, and I don’t need to go out anymore.

But today I couldn’t get away. Nagisa, almost the only one I talk to in school, said there would be this huge event at some kind of club. He didn’t give me much information and I didn’t ask either, because it didn’t pique my curiosity anyways. I thought that maybe – _maybe_ – I could dodge him and make him go with one of his classmates, Rei. As far as I can remember, he likes to wander around with Nagisa, but maybe I'm mistaken. We're always together, because of Nagisa, but we don't talk much. He’s not as tiring or boring as I would expect him to be, though, but he sure takes studies and health rather seriously.

“Nagisa-kun, you shouldn’t eat that much of junk food, it’s not good for you,” he would say every time, and Nagisa would still ignore him until he gave up. I’d say it myself, but it’s not like Nagisa is going to hear me either.

You see? I simply don’t vocalize what I think it’s indifferent. It’s not that hard to understand.

“Haru-chan!” Nagisa called me from the living room. “Rei-chan is going to meet us there, so as soon as you’re ready, we can leave.”

Nagisa decided that it would be better to get ready at my house. He probably thought that if I headed there alone, I’d change my route, go to the beach… or simply stay at home without his concern. He lives pretty far, I’m sure he wouldn’t take a train just to check on me, so it would work perfectly… if he weren’t sitting on (more like lying and almost falling from) my couch.

I sighed and looked outside the window. It was hardly past 6 p.m., and the sun was setting slowly. I don’t like going out when it’s dark, because I pretty much like the sun. And when I do, I usually walk by the beach because there’s no better sight. I personally prefer when the ocean is orange because of the bright sky, reflecting even the clouds, but let me be fair: having the moon on both earth and sky is pretty amazing.

My grandma used to say that the moon and the ocean work together. Whenever she felt stressed or sad, she would go to the beach at night, sit on the sand and watch. “The waves only exist because the moon pulls and pushes the ocean,” she said to me when I was little. “They work in such harmony it’s rather hard to not be amazed by the sight of their doings. I go there when feeling down, but always leave with a smile in the end.”

Mom used to tell me some stories about the moon and the ocean, too. They did seem like a nice pair.

“Haru-channn, aren’t you ready yet?” Nagisa called me once more, stretching the “-chan” like a little kid.

“Almost,” I sighed loudly, because otherwise he wouldn’t be able to hear me.      

I turned back to my wardrobe and picked an outfit: black jeans, a V-neck light blue shirt and sneakers. I grabbed my jacket and walked to the living room, where I found Nagisa upside down, head hanging from the couch. He grinned when noticed me and got up at once.

“Alright, now we can leave!” he stated happily, walking to the door and opening it, as if he were trying to encourage me.

Come on, I’m not a cat.

“Tell me about this event,” I said once we were outside. I needed to know where I was being dragged to, right?

“I don’t know much myself,” he stated thoughtful, putting a hand under his chin while walking. “I know there’s gonna be music, food… it’s like a big party, not much like a festival. Imagine it like an electronic rave, I guess.”

And there I was, sighing again. I could bet that I would be staying at some corner gazing at people and trying to find a way to leave. Not that I’m planning that already, but it’s the most likely thing to happen.

“Where?” I asked simply, and he seemed to understand it that way.

“It’s further into the city. There will be a lot of people outside, because I guess they’ll do some sort of thing on the streets too. I’m so excited!”

He didn’t even know what the whole thing was about, but still he was trembling with excitement. I can’t understand a single part of it.

We kept walking for pretty much 15 minutes until we approached a huge crowd. We could hear some music being played and people danced, talked and drank. Guess it was an outside event, after all.

Nagisa grabbed me by my hand and started to walk faster in direction to the crowd, bumping people on the way. We kept going until we were face to face to some kind of stage, where a band played live. So it was a show, and not a party? Nagisa really needed to inform himself.

“This is amazing, Haru-chan!” he yelled loudly. “Aren’t you grateful that I brought you here?”

To be honest, not much. But I wouldn’t actually tell him that. He was happy there, he was having fun. I can’t really show any amusement if I’m not really feeling it, but I guess I could at least try to look like I’m not as bored as I really am, for his sake.

“Yeah,” I answered, but I doubt he could hear me. The sound was too loud, the band was too close. Actually, there were a lot of people too close. They danced and singed and grabbed each other, and I was just in the middle of it, static and frozen. I don’t dance, that’s all. It’s not like I’m the only one, you know.

After some minutes, the song finally came to an end, and the vocalist of the band called for some silence. I’ve never heard of that band before, so maybe they weren’t that famous, after all.

“So this is the moment you’re all waiting for,” he said with a smug grin. “I’m gonna need two volunteers to start this thing for real!”

At that moment, I looked at Nagisa, silently asking him what’s going on. He didn’t catch my question, and just smiled widely. God damn it, is it so hard to understand me?

When the man asked for volunteers, the crowd went crazier. People yelling “pick me!” at all kinds of tones and volumes, making my head ache for a second. It was too loud, too much. Shut up for once, will you?

“What about you, young fellow? Maybe it’ll cheer you up, because hell you look down.”

It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. Looking at me. Pointing at me. Oh no, please, don’t. What’s going on? Why are people pushing me to the stage, why aren’t Nagisa helping me? I don’t even know what’s going on, why did he even call me?!

“Come on, don’t be shy!” he encouraged me with a laugh, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the stage. “We just need a partner now. Who would like to sing with this young, handsome man?”

…Wait a minute.

Sing?

“You! Yes, you, wearing the orange and yellow shirt! Come here, boy, I bet you have a nice voice!”

When I stopped staring at the vocalist with pure shock on my face to see who he was talking to, my heart skipped a beat. A guy smiled at me like it was the most embarrassing thing in the world, walking hesitantly towards the stage, blushing hard. He was redder than a tomato, and it was the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I’m pretty sure I stayed like that, staring blankly at him with my jaw dropped, for something like an hour – which was impossible, but it still felt like it.

He got to the stage and greeted me politely. I nodded and swallowed hard, trying to recompose myself. Looking at him was like meeting an angel. He was beautiful – brown, messy hair; green, stunning eyes; a fucking athletic body that got me almost drooling… he was perfect, and tall. And he had a smile that could end a war, the brightest, prettiest thing.

I should stop staring now.

“Alright boys, choose your track and let us hear your voices!” the vocalist said, giving us microphones and cheering the crowd. He then gave me a remote controller and stepped to the side, to give us space, I guess.

Just then I noticed that, on my left, right on the corner of the stage, there was a large TV with some song names to be chosen. Karaoke, huh. I don’t sing, There’s no way I’m going to humiliate myself even more.

“What would you like to sing?” the angel suddenly asked and I turned to face him faster than you can say _HOLY SHIT HE’S HOT_. “You can choose, I don’t mind. I- I actually feel like I wasn’t supposed to be here, so I’ll just follow your lead.”

And he smiled again. That fucking smile. I suddenly felt my knees getting weaker, I need something to grab.

_I wanna grab him._

“I don’t really want to sing,” I said, looking away. “And I can tell that you’re uncomfortable too.”

“E-eh?! No, I- my friends, they- they pointed at me and, well… I guess I’m really shy, after all. But I think it’ll be a nice experience.”

“It’s okay,” I assured him. “It’s not like I was going to-”

“If you’re not going to choose, then let me!” the vocalist cut me, grasping the remote controller I was holding and choosing some track before I could say a word. I noticed that the guy by my side tightened his grip on the microphone, and I thought it was unfair to leave him like that. We didn’t want to sing anyway, so why would we?

A piano started playing softly and I soon recognized the song. It played once or twice when I was casually listening to the radio; I didn’t know the entire lyrics by heart, but as I said, I didn’t need to, because I was already walking towards the vocalist to give him the microphone and apologize.

Then, I heard him. His beautiful voice filling my ears and making me freeze. I turned around and looked at him, only to receive his gaze back. He was still blushing, but he wouldn’t stop singing. He glanced at the lyrics and I did the same, noticing that a new verse was starting, with another color. It was my turn to sing, he was asking me to sing. I cleared my throat and started:

_“It’s enough that I can feel that_

_You're walking along thinking of the words to use”_

His smile grew bigger, as if it’s possible, and I walked back to where I was in the beginning, by his side. He didn’t look to the crowd, or at least I wouldn’t let him; I didn’t want him to feel embarrassed in the middle of the song, no. He could feel it later, when we’re done and when he’d proved everyone that he had a beautiful and strong voice.

 _“If something happened, tell me anytime_ ,” he purred into my ears, and I felt like we were all alone there. I really felt like he was talking to me, like he meant it. “ _I would be glad to be even the slightest help to you.”_

I took a deep breath, because his voice, his gaze, it was all too much. He wasn’t blushing anymore, and his smile was still as big as before.

 _“When we are lost or when we are anxious, our usual selves,”_ we sang together, and I really felt the urge to touch him, but I didn’t. It would probably be awkward and the last thing I wanted was to make him feel uncomfortable. I didn’t want him to stop singing, because I could hear him forever and never get bored. _“In our base, so we can be brave and look ahead today as well.”_

 _“I always decide on everything selfishly and bewilder you,”_ I breathed, unable to keep myself calm. _“And I’m clumsy with the kindness present by my side…”_

 _“Everyone is here, the two of us are here, in various forms,”_ he kept singing, but he wasn’t smiling anymore. He was serious now, almost… sad? _“Each of them are us thanks to… our time spent together”_

That’s it. That pause.

I don’t know about him, but I actually felt like the song was talking to me in another level. It’s not like it never happened, because that’s what music is made for, but when he sang, it seemed like he was talking to me for real, which was impossible because we just met each other. I don’t even know his name… but that’s fine. I don’t care. I can’t say we’re going to grow friends, but what if? I needed to show him that I was up for it. Maybe more, even. I don’t know, I’m not sure what’s going on right now.

 _“We’ll probably be like this forever, without doubting each other_ _,”_ I sang, and then it was my turn to smile. _“We’ll continue on, saved by the hand supporting us.”_

I offered him my hand, hanging in air for him to grab, and his gaze shifted from my hand to my face and vice-versa. I couldn’t read his expression, but I could see him blushing. That cute little blush on his beautiful cheeks.

“ _We don’t need reserve or restraint,”_ there we were, singing together again. His smile was back and I felt like fainting. _“Our unconscious understanding of each other…”_ _That’s it!_ , he grabbed my hand and squeezed it softly, caressing my skin with his thumb. He turned his head a little to the left and closed his eyes with a smile that showed no teeth. When he opened his eyes again, we kept singing: _“Becomes our own pace and the flowing comfort’s the same as in the past.”_

We stayed like that until the song was over, not letting go of each other, and only turning around to take a glimpse of the lyrics. I didn’t even notice how the crowd was staring at us in confusion. I didn’t even look at Nagisa. I just stared at those beautiful eyes that shined brighter than emeralds. Those caring, lovely eyes, that warmed you up like a blanket. He had that kind of gaze, that kind of smile. He had everything a person needed to be perfect.

“That’s _My Base, Your Pace_ for you guys!” the vocalist announced, pretty shocked himself. He took our microphones while the crowd cheered and the green-eyed-angel stared at our hands with a kind expression, only to look at me in the eye before letting me go. I tried not to let a frustrated moan, but I don’t think I accomplished that because he let out a chuckle that almost made _me_ blush. “Tell me, do you guys know each other or something…?”

“We just met,” I said.

“Oh, okay… that was kind of a show, I’m impressed. You guys are really good, am I right?” he asked the crowd, that agreed in unison. “I think they deserve a big, warm-hearted round of applause.”

They did as asked, but it didn’t end like that. A girl yelled something like “just kiss already!” and they went even crazier, repeating “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” while applauding and whistling. I looked at the guy by my side and, as I predicted, he was all red again. I almost laughed at him, but not because I would make fun of him or something, but because it was really, really cute.

They kept going and I was unsure of what to do. I was still looking at him, and it took him some time to do the same. He smiled and got closer to me, and at that time my brain went numb. He was going to kiss me with those lips. The same lips that built the most perfect smile. Those delicious, soft lips. I wondered if they felt as smooth as they seemed. I wondered how it felt like to kiss him, to taste him.

He was getting closer and closer and my heart was beating faster. I thought I would have a heart attack right there, but he turned his head and rested it on my shoulder, while evolving me with his arms.

He was hugging me. Only _hugging_ me.

The crowd was not happy, and neither was I. I had a mental breakdown just seconds ago, and then I was feeling like my whole body was being thrown off a building.

“Makoto,” he said, and I didn’t get it. He noticed and laughed lightly. “My name is Makoto. I know, girl’s name.”

“Oh,” I breathed, because the situation was unbelievable. “I’m Haruka.”

He didn’t let me go just yet, but he raised his head to look at me with the dorkiest smile. His eyes were _shining_ , I guess he found the situation as amusing as I did, after all.

“No way, that’s so cool!” he laughed and I decided I wanted to hear that laugh every single day of my entire life. “I never met a guy with a girly name, just me! I thought–” but I wasn’t willing to let him finish.

I got on my tiptoes and I lifted my face until we were at the same level. He stopped talking, but didn’t stop smiling. He nodded slowly, not taking his gaze away from my eyes, and I got my face closer to his and brushed our lips together, watching him carefully. Everything was slow, every movement was acknowledged, until the very moment where I really pressed my lips on his, closing my eyes and feeling one of his hands hold my hair and the other pushing me closer by my back.

My heart was beating fast; that was not my first kiss, but I have never ever kissed a stranger. I have just met him but still I felt like I have found the one person I wanted to live my whole life with. Until that moment, I didn’t even know I could be into guys, I never really paid attention. I wanted to learn everything about him: his favorite color, his favorite place, where he lives, who he talks to. I want to meet his family, I want to travel with him. Go to places, go on dates. Go to the beach at noon and tell him the stories my grandma used to tell me. I want him to feel safe when with me, to rely on me.

I cupped his face with my right hand, brushing my thumb on his blushed cheek before letting go of him.

Needless to say that he was smiling beautifully when I opened my eyes, still pretty close to his face. He let out a deep sigh, looking at me. He kissed me once again, only for a second or two. We were pretty exposed already.

“Does this mean I’ll get to see you again?”

The way he asked, his expression and the spark in his eyes… it was too much. I looked away because I couldn’t handle his beautiful face anymore, and he laughed, offering me a hand. I took it, of course.

Once the vocalist was done talking about how music can help people find love and a lot of blah blah blah, he allowed us to get off stage. While we took the stairs to the street level, people were applauding us and cheering, and this time I’m aware it’s not because of our singing. Nagisa came running to me, hugging me tightly. It happened so fast I didn’t even process.

“Haru-chan, I’m so happy! I told you it would be a good thing to come, I told you!”

“Nagisa, I can’t breathe…” I gasped quietly, Makoto laughing by my side.

Rei appeared behind Nagisa, and he congratulated both me and Makoto for our “beautiful performance”. Makoto told his friends he wanted to get to know me and my friends better, so they said their goodbyes and we hung out for some time, the four of us, until Nagisa and Rei left together to take the train. I noticed that Makoto is also pretty good handling Rei’s scientific nonsense, and also Nagisa’s childish habits; they chatted like long-term friends, and I might say I was pretty impressed. Nagisa may like everyone the second he puts his eyes on them, but Rei… I think he’s more reserved. It takes him a while to talk freely.

They didn’t really tell me, but I think they both liked Makoto. He’s a nice guy, as if being handsome, cute and great singer wasn’t enough already. When we were heading home (and when I noticed that we live right next to each other), he told me a lot about himself. He has two siblings and lives with his parents. He moved from Tokyo two months ago, and he’s also going to enroll in my school when holidays are over. He’s the same age as me, so he would probably be in my class – which I’m very thankful, don’t judge me. He told me he’s the guitarist of a band, and I told him he could be the singer if he wanted to. He told me about his life in Tokyo, and his dreams. He also joked about me having a club of guys with girly names, and that I was only trying to scout him by kissing him. And that it worked.

_…Idiot._

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope you liked reading as much as I liked writing! Leave a comment if you're feeling like it, and also check out my tumblr at motheroftay.tumblr.com  
> Ciao, and thanks for reading!


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